Shifter II: Sands of Time
by HolmesianDeduction
Summary: The continuing saga of the strange trio of immortals known as Vash the Stampede, Knives Million, and Onyx Faustnoir, their rivalries, and their destiny: all intertwined into a single thread of life on this barren world that some call the Planet Gunsmoke…
1. Prologue

_Among those poor creatures we call humans there walks a race of super-beings: dwellers outside of time who never age, and rarely appear in recorded history except when they perform their given roles; preserving and destroying life on this barren planet as they wish. These human-plant hybrids have no given name for themselves as a race, and no one knows exactly how many of them truly exist. As of yet, there are only three of these beings prominently known to mankind: Vash the Stampede; Knives Million; and Onyx Faustnoir. This is the continuing story of that strange trio of immortals, their rivalries, and their destiny: all intertwined into a single thread of life on this barren world that some call the Planet Gunsmoke…_


	2. Eriks

_--Two years after the 'Fifth Moon Incident' on Jeneora Rock._

As the sun rose over the small town of Genoan, a tall woman with long, black hair and narrow, gray eyes strolled into a bar and sat down.

The barkeep looked up, "You're a new face 'round these parts, what can I getcha?"

The woman nodded wearily, "You could say that…tell me: does the man, Eriks still live here?"

He nodded for a minute, but then looked up, shocked, "Why? You know 'em?"

She sighed, "Yes. He's an old friend. Can you tell him to meet me here?" She paused, and finally laid a heavy, gold coin on the counter. "And a shot of sherry, please," she murmured, "Keep the change."

Eyes wide, the barkeep nodded vigorously, "Yes ma'am!" And with that, he scurried out the door.



About an hour later, Eriks had been found. He was a tall man of about twenty-six years, with longish blonde hair and vivid green eyes.

He turned to the barkeep yet again, "Okay. Say what?"

The older man sighed, "I said: there was a strange young lady that came into the bar this mornin' lookin' for ya!"

Eriks frowned, "What'd she look like?"

The barkeep shrugged, "I dunno…couldn't get a very good look at her, what with that long jacket she had on and all that black hair in her face."

The blonde man sighed, _I wonder who it is…I doubt that Bernardelli's picked up my trail already…but then who?_

Silently, he followed the old man into the bar and gasped when he noticed the one unfamiliar figure in the bunch.

He instantly recognized the long, charcoal-gray duster that cloaked the young woman's narrow frame and the long, dark hair only served to increase his suspicions. "Oh my God…" he whispered, "It can't be."

The barkeep approached her cautiously, "He's here, ma'am."

Sighing, the woman tossed him another coin, "Thanks." As he sat down across from her, she looked up at him with steely gray eyes. _It's her, all right, _he thought, _There's no mistaking those eyes of hers…_

"Onyx?" he stood up, "Is it really you? You haven't change a bit!"

The woman shrugged, "What did you expect?" She narrowed her eyes, "_You_ on the other hand…" she paused, "You have change quite a bit, Vash."

Vash's eyes widened, "Shhh! Don't call me by that name here!!"

Onyx shrugged, "Very well then, Eriks. Let's get down to business." She sat down and fixed her penetrating gaze on him, "What happened after I left? Did you lose your memory again?"

The blonde disaster frowned, a troubled look etched on his features, "No…I mean; I remember you…but after that, the memory starts to break up until all I have is Knives's hand reaching for me, some vague fragments, and the deep-seated belief in my heart that the one who shot the hole in the moon was _me_."

Onyx nodded, "You're correct as far as the moon goes, that was you…as for your memory, well…" she sighed, "I can't say I didn't see that coming…so I guess you don't happen to know Knives's whereabouts, huh?"

Vash/Eriks shook his head, "Nope. But Onyx..." He hesitated, "There is something you should know about Knives…"

She raised one arched eyebrow in askance, "What?"

He lowered his green eyes to the floor, "He loves you…" he laughed ruefully,

"Who'd of thought…Knives in love…"

Onyx didn't laugh. "I know," she whispered, "But how does that affect _you_ Vash? Does this make it harder for you to condemn him?"

The 'humanoid typhoon' frowned, "_What?_" He looked up at her, "What do you mean?"

She narrowed her eyes coldly, "You know what I mean. Would it be harder for you to kill him now that you know him to be capable of love? Now that you are aware that somewhere, somehow, he might be missed? What now Vash the Stampede? What now?"

Vash/Eriks smiled faintly, "You love him too, don't you?"

Regaining her composure, Onyx narrowed her eyes, "No. I'm not capable of that…I would simply miss the companionship."

He laughed, "That's almost exactly how Knives responded!"

The bounty hunter rose to her feet, "Well, since you haven't been any help, I'll get going."

The blonde-haired man stood up, "Wait!" He rummaged through his pockets until he produced a crumpled envelope, "Please give this to Meryl and Millie if you see them."

Taking the envelope from him, she shrugged, "Alright, but I won't promise anything." And with that she was gone.



Sighing dejectedly, Nicholas D. Wolfwood gazed out of the bus window in utter boredom. Suddenly, a large bird passed overhead, and the wandering priest's eyes widened as he recognized the strange gun-shaped markings on the undersides of its wings. Removing his sunglasses, he looked up; _She's on the move again._ he thought, _That can't be a good sign._


	3. Bloodlust

_--Three days later; the town of Harain._

As Onyx Faustnoir flew high above the ground, her sharp eyes caught the sight of something red, and the scent of blood filled her nostrils. _He's here…_

Slowly descending to the ground, Onyx wasted no time in shedding her avian form as she took in her surroundings. The scene before her was one of utter carnage. There were bloody bodies everywhere, and right in the middle of it all stood Knives Million, the lavender-eyed disaster himself.

Dashing to his side, Onyx's eyes widened as she noticed the strange glint in his eyes. Shaking her head, she drew back her hand and slapped him in the face, "Knives, you fool! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Not even flinching, Knives simply stared at her in awestruck silence. Sighing, she shook her head, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this to you, but…" She slammed him in the forehead with the butt of one of her revolvers, knocking him unconscious. Catching him before he hit the ground, the bounty hunter pressed her forehead to his, and then jerked away. "Just as I thought," she murmured to the unconscious killer, "You're feverish."

About a half-hour later, Onyx silently loaded Knives onto a horse she had found in a farmhouse nearby, and climbing into the saddle, she headed west, toward the setting sun.


	4. New Miami

_--Five days later, New Miami._

"Ahhh! Sweet New Miami!" Meryl Strife closed her eyes as she stepped off the sand steamer. "What a way to spend vacation, ay Millie?"

Her companion, a tall, stocky woman with long, brown hair grinned happily, "Yeah, this is gonna be great!!"

Meryl sighed as the wind ruffled her short, dark hair, "Yeah…" _I wonder where Vash is now..._

Suddenly, Millie broke through her thoughts, "Wow, Sempai!!! Look! A horse!!!!"

Looking up, Meryl saw a woman on a large, black horse thundering toward them, and she couldn't help but notice the blonde-haired man lying in the saddle in front of her.

Suddenly, the beast came to a halt and the woman glared down at her, "Meryl Strife and Millie Thompson, I presume?" When the girls nodded, she produced a small envelope and passed it to Meryl, "Special delivery from an old friend." And with that, she rode off toward the nearest hotel.



Leaving Knives on the horse outside, Onyx strolled up to the counter. "Room for two, please." She laid a gold coin on the counter, "Give me the best you've got."

Nodding warily, the manager handed her a key, "Room 116 on the left." Nodding her agreement, she took the key and went back outside.



About an hour later, Onyx sat at Knives's bedside and placed a damp clothe on his forehead. Shaking her head, she ran her hands through his damp, blonde hair.

_My dearest friend…_she thought to herself. _What are you thinking about now? Are you thinking about life or death? The bad or the good?_

Getting no response, she silently dipped into his unconscious mind, where she found herself swept up into a chaotic whirlwind of memories, most of which she figured prominently in.

Drawing away, she shook her head slowly, _So that's why you won't wake…you're afraid to face the truth. You're grappling with the human in you, but then again, so am I…_

"Well," she murmured, "Now is the time to stop dwelling in the past, my friend. Stop your fruitless search for answers where you know there are none. We don't decide who we kill, it just happens, but now that you've realized that you're not the heartless killer you thought you were, it's driving you mad, because you can't stop to think about it…you know what happens when you hold still. They find you again, and the more killing." She sighed, "It's the same vicious cycle coming full circle again, isn't it?"



A month later, Onyx Faustnoir wearily opened her newspaper and read the headline:

SAND STEAMER IN TOWN TODAY!!

She raised an eyebrow, "Hmmm…Interesting, ay Knives?"

When Knives didn't respond, she glanced over at his comatose body and sighed, "God, I must be going crazy! You couldn't answer me even if you wanted to, could you?"

Throwing her feet up onto the table, she turned a page to the "Hunter's Digest" section of the paper, which was essentially a newsletter for bounty hunters such as herself. Suddenly her eyes widened as she saw the opening headline, which read:

VASH THE STAMPEDE IN TOWN TOMORROW!!

"Cripes!" she muttered to herself, "We've got to get out of here!"



An hour and a half later, the sand steamer's captain raised an eyebrow as two shadowy figures approached him cautiously.

"Excuse me, Captain?" the first of the two figures spoke up in a subtly feminine voice, "My companion and I would like a pair of third class tickets to July City."

The captain frowned incredulously, "Are you crazy, lady? July doesn't exist anymore!!"

Shrugging, she looked up at him with pale, ash gray eyes, "True, but your route _does_ pass close to the ruins, does it not?"

He nodded, "Yes, but…"

She shook her head, "No 'buts'. It's as simple as this: you send word to me when you are passing close to the spot, and we will simply jump off and walk the rest of the way there." When the captain hesitated, she swept her duster aside just enough for him to catch a glimpse of her twin revolvers.

Wincing, he nodded, "Very well…but what's wrong with your companion? He ain't diseased or nothin' is he?"

Sighing, she tossed him a coin, "Nothing much, just a bit feverish, that's all." And with that, she disappeared into the ship.


	5. Wolfwood

The next day, Nicholas D. Wolfwood and Vash the Stampede strolled into a bar and sat down.

"Tell me, sir;" Vash leaned over the counter to stare at the barkeep, "Have you seen a guy a little shorter than me, with light blonde hair, and violet eyes?"

The barkeep shook his head, "Nope. Why? You got a message for him?"

Vash's eyes widened, "No!! In fact, don't even get near him!! He's a very dangerous man, I swear!"

"Hey, Spikey! Get over here!!" The green-eyed disaster spun around to see his companion talking to a girl with long, red hair.

"Good grief, Wolfwood!" he cried, "This is not the time to be hitting on some girl!!"

"Oh shut up!!" the wandering priest replied irritably. "I found a lead." Turning back toward the girl, he sighed, "Now could you please repeat your story for my friend here, Rena?"

Smiling shyly, Rena nodded, "Well, you see, I work as a maid at the hotel across the street, and I've seen the guy you're talking about. Whenever I would go to clean the master suite, he would always be in bed, asleep. I must admit he was rather handsome, with pale, beach sand hair and fine, chiseled features. Sometimes he would cry out in his sleep, but I didn't dare wake him!"

Vash frowned, "Why not?"

She shrugged, "I was given express orders not to disturb him by the person renting the room."

Wolfwood winked at Vash, "And who would that be?"

Rena shook her head, "I don't know. I never really saw her much. She just sort of drifted in and out like a shadow, but the manager seemed really scared of her."

The humanoid typhoon sighed, "Anything else of interest?"

She frowned, "Well there was one really odd thing…the guy; he had this weird oblong scar on his left shoulder."

Wolfwood nodded, "That's our man…you said they were in the master suite?"

She nodded, "Yes, but—"

The priest got up, "Let's go Spikey."

Rena grabbed his arm, "Wait!"

Vash turned toward her, "What?"

The girl bit her lip, "They're not there anymore."

The two men's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

She sighed, "They left last night on the sand steamer. I was just about to go clean the room when you two showed up."

Suddenly, Vash's features brightened, "Could we go with you and maybe look for some clues?"

Rena bit her lip, "Well…okay. Just don't break anything."



"Well, here we are!" Rena stopped at a large, dark wood door with the number 116 engraved on its surface. "The master suite!"

Inside, the room looked as if a tornado had hit it. There were random items strewn everywhere, and a torn newspaper lay on one of the beds.

Leaning closer, Vash noticed his name on the page and frowned, "Hey, Wolfwood…"

Ignoring him, Wolfwood gestured to the table, "Hey Rena! You got mail!"

Picking it up, Rena glanced over it and began to read aloud:

"_Dear Rena. _

_I hate to leave so soon, but urgent matters have come up. I offer you my thanks for taking good care of my charge in my absence as well as for having the decency to leave me alone when I was there. I should have liked to take you with me, but as you can see, that is not possible. Until I return, I hope you will accept this small gift as a token of my thanks._

_Sincerely, Black Hawk._"

Unwrapping a small piece of newspaper, Rena's eyes widened as a large, gold coin tumbled into her hand.

Scanning the letter once more, she read the date aloud, "July 28th."

Vash frowned, "But it's November!"

Wolfwood grinned, "Exactly! Now we know where he went!"

The humanoid typhoon pondered this for a moment, then, "July City?!"

"Bingo!"


	6. Lost July

_--The Sand Steamer Famiana; Three miles north of the July City Ruins._

In the small third class cabin they were assigned to, Onyx Faustnoir began to doze off, her black hair tumbling over her face as she rested her head on Knives's narrow chest.

Suddenly, she was startled awake as a booming voice came over the intercom. "ATTENTION PASSENGERS!! WE ARE NOW PASSING THREE MILES NORTH OF THE RUINS OF JULY CITY!!!"

Sighing, she rose to her feet and scooped Knives up in her arms, he was almost tragically light now that the months of travel were taking their toll on him. Backing up, she took one last look around, slid the outside door open, and leapt out into the sea of sand.



Silent as a midnight assassin, she crept through the ruins of the lost city. It was past midnight, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. She would have to find shelter soon or they would both die of exposure…or at least he would. His recent illness had given him an almost human frailty and that worried her. The two of them; beings who had always considered themselves immortal had just gotten a bitter taste of their own awful mortality.

"Knives?" Onyx Faustnoir shifted his head onto her shoulder, "Knives, you awake?"

When Knives didn't stir, she sighed and continued on until she found one of the few remaining houses…her house. Going inside, she quickly set up a small cot and laid him out on it. Then she sat and waited for a long time until finally, after five am. she drifted off into a troubled sleep littered with stars and gunfire and the man she had trusted, but had abandoned her to go die with his sister…and of the man who had stayed…sort of.

Knives on the other hand, slept a quiet, dreamless sleep, and at 7:00 that morning, his fever broke.



As they reached the three-mile point from July City, Nicholas Wolfwood turned to Vash irritably, "Tell me again _why_ we have to do this on foot?"

Vash rolled his eyes: this was the fifth time Wolfwood had asked, "Your bike's too loud. We have to take him by surprise."

The wandering priest raised an eyebrow, "Why do we need to do that?"

Vash looked at Wolfwood grimly, "Do you know what he'll do to us if he finds us before we find him? Going after him like this is suicidal enough as it is."

Nicholas pondered this for a while, then nodded, "Alright, Spikey. I see your point."

About a day later, they reached July City.


	7. The Immortals

Onyx awoke with a start to the sound of distant voices. Glancing out the window, she spotted two figured topping the rise, chattering as they went.

Grimacing, she slipped into the shadows of the doorway and patted the familiar jasper handgrips of her twin revolvers reassuredly.

Finally, the two men stopped in front of the building, and one called out in a familiar voice,—Vash's voice, she realized, "Knives!! We know you're in there! Come on out!!"

"Dammit Spikey!!" another voice, also somewhat familiar, cried out, "Whatever happened to 'take him by surprise'?!"

She frowned. _Wolfwood?_ Then, figuring she had no choice, she stepped out of the shadows.



"Onyx?!" the two men started noticeably as the dark-haired gunslinger stepped into the sunlight.

Eyes wide, Wolfwood moved as if to embrace her, "Onyx!! I—"

Glaring, Onyx jerked away from his touch. "Don't touch me!" she snarled, drawing her revolvers.

Vash stared at her, puzzled. He had never seen this expression on any being before. Her eyes gleamed almost silver with a nearly animalistic ferocity. _Like a she-wolf defending her only cub…or a lioness maybe…_

"What do you want?" she spat angrily.

Vash gazed at her calmly, "You know exactly what we want, Onyx."

Onyx narrowed her eyes dangerously, "Knives Million is dead."

Wolfwood's eyes widened, "What?!"

Ignoring him, she continued, "And if he's not dead, he is dying as we speak."



Inside the building, Knives awoke, his violet eyes blinking owlishly in the bright sunlight. Sitting up, he looked out the window to see Onyx confronting Vash and Wolfwood.

_What's Onyx and Vash doing here?_ he wondered. _And who's that other guy? What am I doing here, for that matter?_

He searched through his expansive memory bank, but he just couldn't figure it out. He just couldn't remember why he was there.

"Dammit!" he hissed between clenched teeth, "Why can't I remember?"

With a hiss of frustration, he attempted to rise to his feet, but he couldn't manage, and he passed out.

Five minutes later, Vash and Wolfwood followed Onyx into the house, which was silent with the exception of Knives's shallow breathing.

Eyes wide, Vash knelt beside his brother's cot, "What's wrong with him?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. He's been like this since I found him, and that was a month and a half ago."

Vash looked up, "Will he die?"

Once again, she shrugged, "I'm not a doctor, but at the moment, his primary ailment is starvation, since I can't get him to eat."

As if to prove her point, she swept aside the blanket to expose his bare torso, which, though still well muscled, was tragically thin and his ribcage seemed to be trying to escape through his pale skin, and looking at it, Vash shook his head.

"I can't do it, dammit, I just can't."

Wolfwood's eyes widened, "What do you mean, 'you can't do it'?!"

Tears filled his green eyes as he gazed on his twin's corpse. _No! Not a corpse! _he thought. _He's not dead yet!!_

"I can't do it Wolfwood…I can't kill him in cold blood, not like this…he may be my worst enemy, but he's still my brother…I won't do this."

Suddenly, Onyx spoke up, "Do what you will, but know this, Vash the Stampede: if Knives _does_ die, I will find you, and I will kill you."

Vash looked up at her in shock, "Why?"

She dropped her voice to a whisper, "Because you will have served your purpose. Knives will be gone and the human race will be safe from destruction. You will no longer be needed."

He narrowed his eyes, "And what of you?"

Onyx laughed chillingly, "Me? I'm already the last dark magician of lost technology. The humans have no need of me; never have, never will…" She patted on of her revolvers, "I too, will vanish from this world."

"Besides," she murmured, "it would be a fitting punishment for the two of us."

Vash frowned, "Punishment? For what crime?"

She glanced at the figure lying on the cot, "For murder."

Finally, Wolfwood could stand it no longer, "Murder?!! You guys didn't kill him!!!"

Onyx shook her head, "No. We both killed him, Vash and I. Vash, by telling him the truth he never wanted to hear spoken outside his own mind, and me by simply existing."

Vash nodded, "Very well…Let's go Nick."

Wolfwood regarded her almost longingly for a while, before he finally turned away and went after Vash.


	8. Knives

That night, Knives awoke with a plan. Rising shakily to his feet, he went over to a table and filled a pack with provisions.

Gliding silently over to Onyx's cot, her gazed into her pale, ageless face for what seemed to be an eternity. Suddenly, he lost his balance and his lips brushed hers. Closing his eyes, he lingered there for several moments before he was finally able to tear himself away from her side.

Dumbfounded and a little horrified by what he had just done, he hurriedly grabbed his pack and paused only to scrawl a hastily written note:

"_Onyx: I'm not sure what has happened to me since Jeneora Rock, but I do know that I am not the same being I once was and that I frankly don't know who I am anymore. I need to go find myself, and for that I must leave you, for which I am truly sorry. I am hating myself for having to leave you so suddenly without even saying goodbye, but to quote you, 'We may yet meet again.' –Sincerely: Knives Million._"

And leaving this short note on the table, he disappeared into the night.

The next day, if Onyx was upset, it was impossible to tell.


	9. Epilogue

_--Three months later…_

Silently, Vash the Stampede finished bandaging his brother's wounds, and as he carried him towards civilization, he wondered: _Onyx, did you facilitate this? Did you kill Wolfwood? Did you save Knives for this? Why?_

As he strolled into town, a crow landed on a nearby lamppost. _Is that you, Onyx?_ he thought. _Are you admiring your handiwork?_

Cawing loudly, the crow tilted its head as if puzzled by his thoughts. Then it spread its wings and flew off without answering, but the white, gun-shaped markings on the undersides of its wings had given him answer enough.



That night, Vash dreamed of Rem. Smiling sadly, she gazed at him, silently; expectantly.

"What's wrong Rem?" he asked, "You look so sad…"

She leaned against his shoulder. "It's Knives…" she hesitated, "Vash, remember how you used to say that no one was beyond redemption?"

Vash nodded, "Yes…I remember."

Rem sighed, "Didn't it ever occur to you that Onyx, however dark her heart may seem, is perhaps meant to be Knives's personal form of redemption, and visa versa?"

He frowned, "I never thought of it that way, but can someone like Knives ever be redeemed? After all he's done?"

She laughed, "Oh Vash, you're so serious, even when you're dreaming! Remember your own words, Vash: _No one_, not even your brother is beyond redemption."

And with that, she simply disappeared into thin air, and Vash drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

When he awoke, Knives was gone, and the only trace of him left behind was a scattering of black raven feathers left on his pillowcase.


End file.
